Snow Australia thanks snow sports volunteers as National Volunteer Week begins

Today marks the beginning of National Volunteers Week and Snow Australia would like to acknowledge the outstanding contribution of volunteers to snow sports and celebrate their vital role within Australian communities. 

Without  the approximately three million Australians who volunteer in the sport and active recreation sector each year, Australian sport would look very different. Following a difficult 2020, the Australian snow community is now looking forward to the domestic season. With snow sport activities and events set to return soon to resorts around the country, volunteers will be once again the driving force behind many of the sporting appointments in the calendar. 

National Cross Country committee members Peter Cunningham and Peter Ward have been volunteering in different sports for almost forty years. Both unpaid officials at all levels of competition from club through FIS, they are looking forward to being involved with events  again and are inviting people to pick up volunteering and join them on the snow, as research shows that as many as 25 percent of volunteers might not be returning to sport after last year’s COVID-forced break.

“I’ve  been volunteering since 1977,” Peter Ward said. “My first job as a volunteer was at the Australian Cross Country Championships held at Cabramurra. Our job was to hand out drinks to the skiers, and they all had beards and moustaches back then!”

Peter Cunningham joined in the fun in 1992, after moving to Cooma. He started skating on the cross country trails in Perisher and soon picked up volunteering in snow sports. 

“We  started doing the junior competitions and that was it,” he said. “With Peter (Ward), we have probably organised 100 Australian Championships together, and maybe another 100 State Championships. I don’t think anyone in Australia could equal that!”

Ward explained that spending time with people is the main reason why so many Australians enjoy volunteering. Over the years, he and Cunningham had the rewarding opportunity to follow the career trajectory of many athletes and their families, supporting them from when they were young all the way through to adulthood, and now repeating the cycle with their children. 

“It’s a social thing. It’s a huge family that we all belong to [volunteers and athletes]. If you didn’t know the people, it wouldn’t be as much fun,” he said.

“It  is fun and it gives you a purpose in life. It’s good to see the kids develop and we’ve already had a couple of generations of Olympians coming through,” echoed Cunningham. 

With such a variety of roles to fill at Interschools, club races and other events during the winter, volunteers have multiple opportunities to help in the area they feel more comfortable in. 

Cunningham, a former coach, is now more active on the administrative side of things, which gives him the opportunity to stay involved in the sport. He and Ward not only work together to provide a high standard of officiating at events, they also mentor Technical Delegates and work with local event organisers to facilitate their inclusion in the event planning and risk management procedures. Their efforts saw them being awarded as finalists for official of the year at the Snow Australia Community Sport Awards in 2019.

Despite such a long history of volunteering, Cunningham and Ward don’t show any sign of slowing down. 

“I’ve got no choice! We have already put our names down as organisers for about 20 events this year!” Cunningham said after being asked if he would return to volunteering this season.

National Volunteer Week runs from Monday 17th to Sunday 23rd May 2021. The theme for 2021 is Recognise. Reconnect. Reimagine.